I. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a manufacturing system and more particularly to a means for facilitating the transfer of a green tire carcass or similar article from one operative machine to another while maintaining the rotational orientation of the green tire carcass. Specifically, the instant invention relates to a means for magnetizing a small portion of a ferrous member embedded in the green tire carcass. The bead of the green tire carcass which is comprised of a ferrous material is demagnetized over its entire length and then magnetized in a small portion thereof at a position corresponding to a known position on the green tire carcass. The green tire carcass is then transferred to a second operative machine for further processing. A magnetic probe senses the position of the small magnetized area of the bead member and is thus able to rotationally orient the green tire carcass.
II. Description of the Prior Art
The use of magnetization in order to mark an item is well known in the art as disclosed by U.S. Pat No. 3,503,023 to Biaggini which discloses a device for marking a railroad wheel as its rolls along a rail of track, the device includes an electromagnet held by a magnetically permeable support affixed to the rail, the electromagnet, support and rail defining a magnetic circuit. The use of magnetic marking in connection with tire fabrication is also well known as evidenced by U.S. Pat. No. 3,750,120 to McCarty which discloses a method and apparatus for imprinting coded magnetic indicia on a specially prepared pneumatic tire and for reading out such indicia once recorded. U.S. Pat. No. 4,010,354 to Apicella, Jr., et al., relates to a method and apparatus for encoding tire identifying data on a specially prepared tire builder's tag, applying the tag to the sidewall of a green tire, and reading out such encoded data at various stages in the tire manufacturing process to facilitate product quality assurance and inventory control.
Even further, the use of magnetic making to encode information on a structural member of a tire is also well known in the art as disclosed by U.S. Pat. No. 2,920,674 to Bull which discloses a method of permanently recording information relating to the tire directly thereon by magnetizing at least one of the structural or reinforcing components in an indicia forming pattern to provide said information thereon in code form. U.S. Pat. No. 3,160,865 to Tourtellotte relates to an automatic signal translating apparatus for translating the information placed on magnetized bead wires of tires. U.S. Pat. No. 3,179,929 also to Tourtellotte concerns a means responsive to the position of the code pulses on a tire with respect to a reference point for separating the code pulses. U.S. Pat. No. 3,460,119 to Ugo, et al., discloses an apparatus for recording a digital magnetic code having an indexing digit and information digits on magnetizable means extending circumferentialy of a tire carcass or the like in opposite region thereof and comprises a first plurality of magnetizing members adapted to be positioned circumferentially of one of the magnetizable means.
European Patent Application No. 81108248.6 concerns a means for encoding information on a structural member of a tire by alternately reversing the direction of plurality of magnetized areas so that each magnetic pull of each magnetized area has the same plurality of the adjacent magnetic pull of adjacent magnetized areas.
U.S. Pat. No. 2,355,940 to Zuschlag relates to the demagnetization of magnetic bodies and contemplates the subjection of the article to be magnetized simultaneously to an alternating current field and to a direct current field both suitably controlled.
Although the prior art discloses many schemes for magnetically encoding information on structural members of a tire, none of the art noted above provides a means for rotationally positioning a green tire carcass in order to facilitate the transfer of the green tire carcass from a first stage automated tire assembly machine to a second stage automated tire assembly machine, wherein the green tire carcass may be precisely rotationally oriented at the second stage system in order that the processing of the green tire carcass at the second stage may take place with respect to a magnetic marking placed on the green tire carcass before it was removed from the first stage assembly machine, wherein the location of the magnetic mark corresponds to a physical feature of a green tire carcass.
There is, therefore, a need for a means for magnetically marking a green tire carcass in order to facilitate transfer of the green tire carcass from a first stage automated tire assembly machine to a second stage automated tire assembly machine, wherein the components applied during the second stage tire procedure may be precisely placed with respect to the components of the green tire carcass fabricated during the first stage tire construction procedure.
The instant invention solves this need by providing a means for demagnetizing the bead of a green tire carcass near the end of the first stage tire assembly process and encoding, by means of magnetizing a small portion of the bead of the green tire carcass, at a position corresponding to the physical structure of the green tire carcass. The green tire carcass is then transferred to the second stage tire assembly machine, wherein the position of the magnetized portion of bead is sensed in order to position the green tire carcass for proper placement of subsequent components upon the green tire carcass.